Why a Generation of Adoptees is Returning to South Korea

Why a Generation of Adoptees Is Returning to South Korea. This movement is raising soul-searching questions about international adoption.

“Laura Klunder’s newest tattoo runs down the inside of her left forearm and reads “K85-160,” a number that dates to her infancy. Klunder was 9 months old when her South Korean mother left her at a police station in Seoul. The police brought her to Holt Children’s Services, a local adoption agency, where a worker assigned Klunder the case number K85-160. It was only two weeks into 1985, but she was already the 160th child to come to the agency that month, and she would go on to be one of 8,800 children sent overseas from South Korea that year. Klunder became part of the largest adoption exodus from one country in history: Over the past six decades, at least 200,000 Korean children — roughly the population of Des Moines — have been adopted into families in more than 15 countries, with a vast majority living in the United States.”

Who We Are

An online community that supports adoptive parents and adopted teens and young adults. The blog is written and moderated by Cindy Rasicot, MFT and adoptive parent. It’s a place to gather resources relating to adoption and read interviews with people connected to the adoption community. Welcome and please join the conversation by leaving a comment. Through sharing with one another, we all benefit.